Proof that Levi's Short
by Admiral T. DeVanto
Summary: "What happened here?" Erwin asked, glancing at Hanji for answers. She could only grin. "The snowy ditch decided to make a meal out of poor little Levi."


Hanji Zoe could not keep the smirk from her face as the snow began to fall. Yes, this expedition was a gruelling one, and it was tiring, but she was thrilled with the possibilities this mission had to offer. She trudged through the snow, lifting her feet as she climbed up a small hill. While the snow was not too deep, the effort it took to climb was a bit difficult.

She huffed, watching as her breath fogged up in front of her before disappearing, the little snowflakes landing on her glasses. A small breeze blew stray strands of her brown hair in her face, and she pushed them back from her rosy cheeks.

"Stop standing there gawking like that," her comrade snapped in annoyance. Hanji turned to regard her companion, her smile growing as she watched Levi approach her, his arms folded in an effort to stay warm against the cold.

"What?" she asked. "Can I not enjoy the view?"

"The only view you should be looking out for are hostilities," Levi Ackerman said, his grey eyes surveying the woodsy landscape below them from where they stood on the ledge. He adjusted the scarf around his neck, pulling it down from where it covered his mouth so he could speak a bit easily. He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "Commander Erwin and Mike should be meeting up with us at this point by now."

She shrugged. "Relax, it's nothing to worry about."

Levi shot her a look, raising an eyebrow, though he said nothing. Reaching into one of the deep pockets of his long winter trench coat, he pulled out the marked map, his gloved hands gripping the stiff paper.

"So far, we have yet to see any Titans in this area," he commented. He huffed. "Though I'm not surprised."

"We still have this section of the forest to check out," Hanji commented, looking over his shoulder to look at the map. It was not hard to do so, as she was taller then the captain, and she could not help but smirk when she saw his frown deepen as his eyes flickered over to her. No doubt, he was brooding over the obvious difference in their height. It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him to drink more milk, or stop drinking so much coffee.

While she debated which comment was better, Levi went back to observing the map. "Yeah, well," he huffed as he folded the map back up and pocketing it. "Erwin and Mike better get their butts up here soon, or we'll be out here all day." He grimaced as he flicked a bit of the offending snow off his shoulder.

She smiled. "Oh come on! Snow is white, which means it's clean!"

"It's also wet and slushy, and the dirt is spread around more easily," Levi grumbled.

"The outdoors are always dirty," Hanji said, rolling her eyes.

"The dirt should stay outdoors," he stated. "Everything has a specific place, just as it was designed." He glanced down at the steep ledge with a frown. "That's going to be a long way down if we go around it," he commented.

Hanji shrugged. "We could always jump down the ledge. The fall won't kill us."

"Yeah, we'd just look like idiots," he stated.

"Oh come on," she teased. "It will be just like sledding."

"It will be just as reckless," he commented.

She frowned. "You know, for such a neat freak, you can be such a stick in the mud." She sighed, turning around and heading back with the intention of waiting for Erwin and Mike. "Well, we will have to complete this expedition before nightfall, which means that we will have to-"

She was abruptly cut off by Levi's startled shout, and she turned around with wide eyes to watch as the ledge Levi was standing on collapse. The captain fell as the snow traveled downhill, his startled shouts abruptly cutting off.

Hanji relaxed briefly once she realized that there was no immediate threat. It then suddenly occurred to her that her friend was now possibly buried under hard snow, and that indeed was a threat in of itself.

A minor threat, and not as big as a Titan attack, but a threat nevertheless.

She hurriedly made her way towards the ledge, taking great care not to face the same fate as Levi. Her concern grew when she could only see a pile of thick snow below her. The drop was not long, possibly only fifteen feet, but she knew that the snow would harden like concrete and bury Levi if he was not dug out.

"Levi!" she shouted. "Levi you little imp! Answer me!" Her calls went unanswered, and she sighed before activating her ODM gear and launching downhill.

She landed in the snow, jogging over to the large mound before dropping to her knees and digging quickly. Her concern soon dissipated when she caught sight of Levi's dark, snowy covered hair. Levi sputtered once his face was clear, thrashing around to try and free himself from the snow. She breathed a sigh of relief as she continued to dig around him, ignoring how the cold was seeping through her gloves and numbing her fingers.

"Well hello there," she said cheekily once she had removed the snow around Levi's head and chest.

Levi spat out a mouthful of snow, grimacing as he did so. "Disgusting," he muttered, shaking his head. The movement did nothing to remove the snow stuck to his hair, however, which caused her grin to grow.

"What was that you said about us looking like idiots should we jump down the hill?" she questioned thoughtfully, her mirth growing.

"Shut up," he muttered, trying in vain to squirm around in the hard snow. His face was red both from the cold and the exertion. His one arm was trapped, and he could not move around much. He swallowed, feeling his chest tighten at the feeling and thought of being buried underneath a pile of snow. He refused to connect the feeling to claustrophobia. "Are you going to finish digging me out?"

She hummed. "I don't know," she confessed. "It was such a lovely burial."

"Four-Eyes!" he growled, his eyes sparking in annoyance.

She laughed, moving behind him and gripping his arms. "Oh relax you little grump," she teased. She went back to digging, her thoughts wandering. "Speaking of which, how would you want to be buried?"

He frowned. "Excuse me?"

"Humor me for a moment," she said, ignoring the fact that Levi tended to do that most of the time anyway. "Say something happens, how would you like to be buried?"

His frown deepened at the disturbing thought. "Well, I don't intend to become Titan chow," he stated. "Can't say the same for you though. Your experiments will be the death of you for sure."

She laughed. "Nonsense," she stated. "I think I would like to be cremated and have my ashes tossed to the wind. No tombstone for me."

"Whatever," he muttered.

"In fact," she continued. "I heard that some people have their family members leave their bodies in caves until nothing but the bones are left. Then, I read somewhere that people let their bodies float in the water."

"How morbid," he grumbled, trying to block out the disturbing images and wondering how and why Hanji thought up such things. But he shouldn't be too surprised. Hanji took note of his tone of voice, which usually meant he wanted her to stop talking.

Hanji braced herself as she tried to drag Levi out of the snow. She let out a breath when he did not even budge. "Oof," she grunted, bracing herself once more as she tugged at him once more. "What have you been eating?" she demanded, out of breath. "I think you've put on some weight!"

"Shut up," he grunted, wincing as she tried and failed to once more drag him out of the snow. He hissed in pain once he felt his ankle move. "I think I broke something," he muttered.

"Fragile," Hanji muttered at his comment. "You know, if you drink more milk, not only will it help with your height, but it'll help strengthen your bones as well."

"Shut up," he growled, the breath leaving his lungs when Hanji tried once more to pull him out. "I think I fell into a ditch," he commented.

"You think?" she demanded, letting him go and placing her hands on her hips as she caught her breath. "How deep is that ditch?" She then stopped to consider the half buried man for a moment. Considering Levi's embarrassing lack of his manly height, the ditch would not have to be that deep to begin with to eat Levi whole.

She huffed as she went back to digging him out. After a moment, she sniffed, her nose running from the exertion and the cold. She was aware her nose was probably dripping, as she could feel the cold moisture seeping out of her nose. She sniffed once more, wrinkling her nose as she sat back on her heels. Her eyes connected with Levi's, who was staring at her with an expression of disgust.

She sniffed again, frowning. "What?"

He grimaced as he watched her wipe her nose with her sleeve. "Gross," he muttered. "Blow your nose or something."

She scowled. "With what?" she demanded. "With the handkerchiefs that will conveniently appear?" She frowned, fingering her scarf before sniffing again. "Actually," she stated, unrolling her scarf. "This might-"

"Don't," Levi ordered, not even looking at her as he shuddered at the sound of her sniffling.

Hanji shrugged and went back to digging, yet the more she digged, the more snow piled on Levi, causing him to sink even further. "Enough!" Levi shouted once the third pile of snow fell on top of him. To his annoyance and complete discomfort, he could feel some snow sliding down his back, causing him to jerk forward with a shudder, his teeth chattering. "You're only making it worse!" He could feel the cold through his now damp clothes, and the cold was slowly turning to a burning feeling that left him numb.

"I'm trying to help you," she snapped, sniffing once more as her nose dripped. She covered her nose in annoyance.

"Stop your sniffling," Levi grumbled, shuddering at the disgusting sound.

"I can't help it if my nose is running," she said, trying to dig him out once more. She let out a growl of frustration when the snow she had previously removed only filled up once more. "I wonder what the Commander will think of this," she mused thoughtfully.

She got her answer not a few moments later when Mike and Erwin both showed up. Mike sniffed as he glanced down at Levi's predicament while Erwin remained stoic as ever, yet his eyes shone with amusement. "What happened here?" he asked, glancing at Hanji for answers.

Hanji could only grin. "The ditch decided to make a meal out of poor little Levi." A part of her wondered if Levi's height had anything to do with his success in killing Titans; maybe because he was so short, the Titans just didn't notice him?

"Four-Eyes!" Levi exclaimed, glaring at Hanji, a look that promised revenge in the near future.

Erwin's mouth twitched as he tried to conceal a grin at Levi's flared temper. He approached the buried captain, gripping Levi's arms as he tugged at him. He grunted, straining to release Levi from the hardened snow. "Wow," he commented. "You're really stuck in there."

"I think I might have broken something," Levi admitted, his frown deepening.

Erwin also frowned. "Well, we just might have to continue digging you out with the pickaxes."

Hanji was relieved to note that there was no need to truly hurry with the digging process, as none of them were in any immediate danger as of yet. No sooner had she thought of the words then did the trees around them start to quake and moan. Everyone froze at the sound and it took Hanji a moment to realize that the sound they were hearing was that of large tree branches being broken off.

"Titan!" Mike exclaimed suddenly, eyes narrowed as he dropped his pickaxe and gripped his two swords. "Two of them."

"What are Titans doing here?" Levi demanded in frustration as he struggled in the snowy ditch he was stuck in.

"How far?" Erwin asked, still holding Levi's arms.

"Not far," Mike said, taking one sniff of the air. "They're close."

Hanji clapped her hands. "Really? Are they Abnormals?"

"Mike, Hanji," Erwin said, ignoring the crazy scientist lady who was now glowing with pure happiness and excitement. "The two of you intercept the Titans and buy us some time. I will see to Levi."

Both soldiers nodded, activating their ODM gear right as the first Titan burst through the trees, its wide mouth open in a frozen smile as it eyed the four humans. Hanji's delighted cries as she zoomed around filled the air, along with the grunts and groans of the Titan as it tried to make a quick meal out of them.

Erwin frantically dug around Levi, who was still trying to escape from the ditch. Finally, Erwin wrapped his arms around Levi and tugged at him once more.

"Put your back into it," Levi growled.

"You could be a bit more helpful," Erwin snapped. "Kick with your feet."

"My feet are trapped!"

Erwin's eyes narrowed. "Don't you even start." He grunted when Levi moved a bit, but that was all that happened. With one last heave, he flung Levi out of the ditch and back into the snow. Levi rolled over in the snow before trying to get up and avoid the Titans.

"Get on my back," Erwin ordered, looking up when the second Titan approached. The first Titan fell to the snow, causing the very ground to tremble as Mike zipped away to engage the other one.

Levi narrowed his eyes. "No!" he snapped, trying to stand, only for his leg to buckle under the strain. He let out a hiss of pain, testing his twisted ankle with the growing realization that he could not fight.

"That is an order!" Erwin shouted, grabbing Levi and shoving him out of the way of a Titan's meaty hand.

Levi let out a growl of frustration, but leaped onto Erwin's back, wrapping his arms around Erwin's neck and his legs around Erwin's waist. Erwin activated his ODM gear and flew off and over the ledge, ducking under the tree branches that were heavy with snow.

"Soldiers!" Erwin shouted, his voice carrying in the wind. "Fall back!" Levi could hear Hanji's disappointed yell, and he craned his neck to see Mike kill the last Titan. He could not help but smirk, recalling his conversation with Hanji about their burials. It seemed as if she was spared from the jaws of death yet again, regardless if she saw it that way.

He adjusted his hold on Erwin, trying to prevent himself from slipping. But that did no good as he still felt himself losing his hold on Erwin. He tightened his legs around Erwin's waist, but that did not help either.

"Stop moving," Erwin ordered.

"I'm slipping!" Levi shouted. He wondered if the fall from such a height would kill him, or if the snow would help cushion his fall. Looking up and over Erwin's blond head, his eyes widened when he noticed the snowy branches Erwin was approaching.

"Look out!" Levi shouted, just as a branch that was overburdened with the snow snapped and fell right in their direction. Erwin tried to dodge it, but with the weight of Levi and the snow suddenly blinding him, he lost control of his ODM gear and crashed into the snowy ground. A burst of pain exploded in Levi's back as he hit the ground, and he groaned as he laid there, catching his breath.

Levi groaned as he tried to move, wincing as a flare of pain traveled from his ankle to his leg. He found that he could not move, and upon craning his neck, he saw why: the branch that had snapped had fallen on him, further trapping him once more in the snow. That at least explained the pain and weight he had felt when he fell. He moved around a bit, trying to wiggle out from under the branch that trapped him, but he froze when he heard a loud cracking sound. He closed his eyes, hoping that wasn't his back or leg breaking, despite the fact that he felt no pain at the moment.

"I hate snow," he grumbled, collapsing in it. He could not see Erwin anywhere though, and his frown deepened as he felt a twinge of concern in his gut.

"Aw," Hanji crooned as she landed right beside Levi, who only glared up at her. "Did wittle Wevi get stuck again?"

Levi only let out a muffled response, not in the mood to make a snappy comment. Hanji frowned, surveying the scene around her. "Where's Erwin?" she asked.

"Here," Mike grunted, dragging the buried and unconscious commander out of the snow.

Levi felt his annoyance spike. "You've got to be kidding me!" he demanded, outraged. "We both fall into the snow, yet I'm the only one who gets buried?"

Hanji laughed. "You must really love playing in the snow Levi."

"I hate snow!" he exclaimed.

"Now, now," Hanji said, approaching him. "Don't fuss."

"Throwing a tantrum and rolling in the snow is unbecoming of a man your age," Mike commented.

"Shut up, the both of you," Levi growled.

"Keep talking like that and we just might not help you," Hanji said as she walked towards him with a smirk.

His eyes widened. "Don't move!" he ordered.

She frowned. "What? You don't want us-?" But she stopped when she heard the audible crack the minute her foot hit the ice, which explained the cracking sound Levi had heard before. It did not look like a pond, but a small body of water. Nevertheless, it was water, and Levi did not like the idea of being wet and dirty.

Hanji frowned. "It must be a small creek," she stated, inching closer to try and reach him.

"I said don't-" But Levi did not even get to finish his sentence as the ice gave way. Levi's coat and the clothes he wore were immediately soaked, and Hanji yelped as she stumbled, the water coming up to her knees. Levi was not so lucky as he had been on his stomach. His face was splashed with icy water, and he sputtered as he tried to scramble for air. He felt strong arms grab him and drag him out of the iciness, yet the chill of the air nearly froze him.

"I am going...to kill you," he gasped, glaring at Hanji who climbed out of the small creek. Mike still held onto Levi, steadying him.

She frowned, glancing at her boots. "Great. Now my feet are cold," she stated.

His eyes narrowed as his temper grew. The cold, the water and the dirt did little to return Levi to his normally stoic and calm demeanor. "You're feet are cold!?" he demanded, his voice like ice that was now reforming in the creek.

"Well, you can't be any better," she stated with a smile, finally noticing him. "Eh, sorry about that."

"I believe we should head back," Mike said, cutting Levi off from making a scathing comment. "No sense in continuing with the expedition in this state."

The state they were all in was that of an unconscious commander, a captain with a twisted ankle and soaked cloths, and a squad leader with soaked boots. Mike seemed to have been the only one to escape this sorry example of the Survey Corps for now.

Hanji smirked as she helped support Levi up while Mike did the same with Erwin, who was groaning as he awoke. "Besides," Hanji crooned, picking at the snow in Levi's dark hair, despite the fact that Levi tried to swat her hand away. "We got to see you play in the snow. That is a sight I will never forget!"

"You did seem to be having fun," Mike commented, noticing Levi's scowl and joining Hanji in poking fun at the captian. "Just like a little kid."

Hanji gasped. "Aw, Levi! Are you blushing?"

"It's the cold, Four-Eyes, and you know it! Now help me stand upright so I can strangle you!"


End file.
